The carbide cutting tool is another viable alternative to the other cutting tools (diamond, steel). These days, it has been getting a lot of attention and demand, and you deserve to know why. It is a tool made essential from carbon and another vital ingredient. These ingredients offer the cutting tools additional durability and efficiency. But as a beginner, you probably wonder why you should go for these cutting tools other than your traditional diamond cutting tools. This article will expose you to the six competitive edges the carbide cutting tools have that will satisfy your cutting needs.
Table of Contents
- 1. High Intensity of Carbide Cutting Tools :
- 2. High Abrasive Resistance of Carbide Cutting Tools :
- 3. High Machinability of Carbide Cutting Tools :
- 4. High Rigidity of Carbide Cutting Tools :
- 5. Heat Resistance:
- 6. Long Service Life of Carbide Cutting Tools :
- Conclusion
Figure 1: Image of a carbide-cutting tool
1. High Intensity of Carbide Cutting Tools :
Unlike many other steel-cutting tools, it has a much higher intensity. This edge allows them to achieve better cutting performance. It changes the way you cut various materials. You get more efficiency with these cutting tools than with others. The manufacturers make them with materials that allow them to withstand and perform well for high-intensity usage. Production materials of the cutting tools allow them to have a good band speed and feed rate. Faster band speed ensures it has a higher, desirable shear plane angle, which automatically makes them cut effectively.
You don’t need to understand this, but it’s better you know it’s not some magic science. Proper handling of the carbide cutting tools enables you to gain access to their high intensity, which automatically guarantees the ability to make your cutting more efficient. The high cutting speed also reduces the vibration in the carbide cutting tools as there is a relation between the cutting speed and vibration.
Figure 2: Image showing a carbide cutting tool operating at high speed
2. High Abrasive Resistance of Carbide Cutting Tools :
This is another competitive edge as a result of the high intensity. Abrasive resistance refers to the ability of the carbide-cutting tool parts and body to withstand abrasion. High abrasive resistance makes that less prone to wear or tear. It is possible because of the specific abrasion resistance casting of material that manufacturers use to produce the cutting tools. This edge makes the cutting tools suitable for heavy-wear applications. The high abrasive resistance coating allows the cutting tool’s parts and body to perform efficiently and have a longer lifespan.
It also makes you spend less on cutting tool replacement and ensure you find it easier to maintain. The high abrasive resistance coating also serves as a means of lubrication for the cutting tools, thereby providing corrosion protection means. This abrasive resistance ability allows it to keep its material structures and parts even when you use it to cut tough materials. It easily cuts tough materials and resists mechanical damage.
Another area in the high abrasive resistance of the cutting tools is important in its waste removal. When cutting with the carbide cutting tool, you generate very little waste compared to other cutting tools because there is less friction between the surface of your cutting tool and the material you are cutting. The high abrasive resistance increases their working lifespan as it has higher wear resistance.
Figure 3: Image showing abrasive discs
3. High Machinability of Carbide Cutting Tools :
Machinability describes the ease with which you can cut metals at a low cost. With it, you require just a little power to cut. You also get good results quickly and have a smooth cut. The high machinability of the cutting tool is due to two important facts. The carbon content of the cutting tool and the hardness of the materials being cut. A carbide-cutting tool with higher carbon content is likely difficult to machine.
The presence of alloy elements helps improve machinability. The machinability rating of the carbide cutting tools depends on factors such as tool material, cutting speed, using the right power tool, and cutting the right material. The material you want to cut must have cutting parameters relating to the cutting tools. You must choose the material according to the tool. When using a carbide cutting tool of high the machinability rating, the softer the material to cut. To achieve high machinability, you must match the cutting speed with the material you are cutting. High cutting speed may result in the poor surface finishing of the material.
In summary, the relative motion must be stable between the cutting tool and the material. The machinability of carbide cutting tools has three cutting conditions; depth, speed, and feed. They also form the three dimensions of the machining process. Machinability of cutting tools is measurable through 2 cutting conditions; roughing and finishing cut. Roughing cut removes a large fraction of the material you are cutting very fast. This gets you a result as close as you desire. You are cutting some materials for further finishing by leaving some materials on the piece. The finishing cut finalizes the whole operation.
4. High Rigidity of Carbide Cutting Tools :
It means they are hard, tough, and inflexible. It allows them to cut very hard materials. This edge is one of the keys to the productivity of cutting tools. It can grind through thick materials at long depths without wearing them out. The cutting rate of cutting tools is minimized with a lack of rigidity and therefore increases vibration. Vibration increases in cutting tools lacking rigidity. Rigidity is responsible for absorbing vibration. It provides a stable work platform for cutting tools. The presence of vibration affects the quality of cuts and cutting tool life severely.
Therefore, the ability of the carbide cutting tools to absorb vibration. Vibration reduces with an increase in the depth of the tooltip radius. It is why they are adaptive to this condition. In summary, the benefits rigidity gives cutting tools include; better performance, energy efficiency, increased tool lifespan, and, importantly, a way of delivering high anti-vibration capabilities. However, the rigidity of the carbide-cutting tools varies. Variation occurs with the quantity, nature, and quantity of the constituent carbide metal bonded phase.
5. Heat Resistance:
Carbide-cutting tools maintain their shape and hardness even under compression. During cutting operations, the machining temperature could increase. It causes deformation in ordinary steel-cutting tools. However, in carbide-cutting tools, resistance to thermal deformation is present. It enables the cutting edges of the cutting tools to maintain their sharpness at high temperatures. This resistance shows that the cutting tools are still efficient on exposure to high temperatures due to the high cutting speed. The magnitude of the thermal expansion on cutting tools depends on the coating elements.
The tools expand as the atomic vibration increases with temperature. Various elements combine to give coating to cutting tools that allow them to resist heat. One core element is Tantalum; it has been found to withstand close to 4000 degrees Celsius, which is pretty high, right? One of the core reasons it is the tool of choice in applications where high-speed steel would quickly wear out. These applications include large quantities and high-precision production.
Figure 4: Image of a heat-resistant laboratory test
6. Long Service Life of Carbide Cutting Tools :
One of the critical competitive edges is the ability to last longer. They are designed to extend service life. This property allows them to stay sharper for a long period if the blade’s body is in good condition. One of the things we desire from any cutting tool is a great lifespan. It allows us to avoid replacing them more frequently. Though using cutting tools will surely affect your lifespan, some factors primarily improve lifespan.
These factors are easily seen in the composition of the cutting tools. These factors range from the material composition of the cutting tools to their cutting parameters. Carbide cutting tools production has different mixtures of tungsten and cobalt. The cobalt serves as a catalyst that holds all the embedded materials in position. However, there are variations in the carbide grain size (this affects the sharpness of the cutting edge); this directly depends on your budget, but the least of them is quite durable.
Figure 5: Image of a carbide tool showing its long lifespan
Carbide-cutting tools might make you fork out more money than you would spend on some existing cutting tools, but they make sense in the long run. The competition doesn’t stop here; we only brought you the highlight. You can be more expectant when you finally get one.
Conclusion
Carbide-cutting tools give clean, straight cuts without damaging the material. There remain sharper for a longer time. They allow you to cut faster without binding. They are durable, cost-effective, and produce professional finishing. However, to get maximum results and experience the six competitive edges above, you need to buy specifically for your cutting operations.
NCcuttingTools has extensive experience in meeting the customer’s specific cutting needs. We use advanced technology to provide the most scientific solutions and the best services for the customer through our extensive carbide-cutting tools (readymade and customizable to your taste). Contact us at https://www.nccuttingtools.com/ for any information and purchase.
